Dragonlance: The Dark Disciple Trilogy Volume 3: Amber and Blood

by Margaret Weis

It’s hard for me to put into words exactly how I felt about this book. But given that it’s a review, I kind of have to don’t I? I didn’t hate the book. At all really. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t really a book. Instead it was more of an epilogue. A very long epilogue.
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Dragonlance: Dark Disciple Trilogy Volume 2: Amber and Iron

by: Margaret Weis

Even more than the first volume, Volume 2’s enjoyment rests on one major preference. Do you prefer your gods aloof and distant or really heading into the muck of the story acting as major focused players? For the longest time the gods of Dragonlance were important but definitively background characters. You could argue that Fizban and Astinus made this not so, but in truth they weren’t gods being gods. There was enough mystery to them that still distanced themselves from the mortals of Krynn.
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Dragonlance: Dark Disciple Trilogy Volume 1: Amber and Ashes

by Margaret Weis

I was interested immediately due to the fact that it was 1/2 of THE Dragonlance team. I was also interested to read Weis on her own after having read a novel of Tracy Hickman that was done with his wife, Laura. That particular book never took off with me and I never finished it. I may try again one day, but I didn’t feel the same magic. With Margaret, it may have helped being set in a familiar universe, but it definitely flowed a bit better.
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Dragonlance: War of Souls Volume 3: Dragons of a Vanished Moon

by: Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

As always, Weis and Hickman have a good idea on how to end things climactically enough that even if it feels a tad abrupt, it is still satisfying.
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Dragonlance: War of Souls Volume 2: Dragons of a Lost Star

by: Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

The engine still revs.  After a little clunkiness in the first volume of War of Souls, the second volume takes the groundwork it is given and runs with it a bit.  The tone of the series really seems to find it’s focus amidst the chaos and with an injection of both characters and action, Lost Star is worthy to sit side by side with the other Weis/Hickman Dragonlance novels.

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Dragonlance: War of Souls Volume 1: Dragons of a Fallen Sun

By Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

After the debacle of the Fifth Age, and Jean Rabe’s Dragons of a New Age trilogy, it wouldn’t have surprised me to see the Dragonlance saga die a quick death.  So, in order for salvation we turned our eyes to the only ones who could save it, the originators, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.

In all honesty, the first volume of their first trilogy since the remarkable Legends did not nearly reach the same heights.  It is more on par with the Chronicles in some ways and yet deficient in others.  

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Dragonlance: Dragons of a New Age Volume 3: Eve of the Maelstrom

By: Jean Rabe

The best thing I an say?

The trilogy is over.

I read this trilogy when it first came out over ten years ago and found myself very indifferent to it.  After reading it again, I don’t know how I could be indifferent to it and not simply flat out dislike it.

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Dragonlance: Dragons of A New Age Volume 2: The Day of the Tempest

by Jean Rabe

I had little hope that Volume 2 would be better than Volume 1 so I was pleasantly surprised that it indeed was better. The only problem, is that anything would have been better and this just cleared that low bar of expectations.

The characters are slightly better, if only because their motivations are made a bit clearer. Well with the exception of Rabe’s invention, Dhamon Grimwulf. As her supposed central character he makes very little advancement until the very end and even that was pretty ridiculous.

The death of a major character in Dragonlance lore came off very poorly. It just reeked of shock value and did little to advance the overall story. But it was the climactic high point.

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Dragonlance: Dragons of a New Age Volume 1: Dawning of A New Age

by: Jean Rabe.

I must begin this review by saying that I hold Jean no ill will. I also don’t want my review to taint anyone’s views of her as a writer as she may be a wonderful writer. The truth is, I’ve heard from some higher up sources that she was forced by TSR into some nonsensical decisions in this trilogy. Furthermore, she had the unenviable task of following Weis and Hickman in their world in an age where the landscape had changed so drastically that the world was barely recognizable.
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Dragonlance: Chronicles Volume IV: Dragons of Summer Flame

by: Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

Weis & Hickman were brought back from other worlds to write their last Dragonlance book.  The one to finish off the saga.

This time.  Until they were cajoled to come back again.  And again.  And again.

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